653 up as a heathen, and became a notorious sinner. She heard of God’s great deeds in Egypt and evidently became a true believer, saying, “ I know the Lord is God in heaven above and in the earth beneath and that He will give you the land.” She proved her faith by risking her life in hiding the two spies. Then she asked those men if they would save her father’s household when they cap tured the land, and her request was granted. When Joshua surrounded Jericho for seven days and gave the shout of faith, the city walls fell down flat. Rahab’s house was built on the city wall, but her solitary house stood up alone as a monument of God’s faithfulness and she and her father’s household were all saved, “ and they brought out all her kindred, or families.” Joshua 6:23. This would indicate that she had more fam ilies brought in than her own father’s household, possibly uncles and cousins, and yet God honored her faith to the salvation of them all. When God an swered the prayer of a woman of the character of Rahab for the salvation of her household, certainly He will answer the prayer of any one. Some people have the idea that the head of the house only has a right to claim the salvation of a house, but we see that Rahab’s father and mother were alive and she was not the head of the house, yet it was through her faith that she and all her family were saved. This proves that any member of the family can claim the salvation of the whole household, and possibly more distant relatives as Rahab did. After Joshua had conquered the land he gathered all Israel and warned them to be faithful to God, but if they should not, he says, “ as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15. He not only promised for himself, but for his house. He knew it was God’s will to save his house, and he publicly promised that they all would continue to
THE KI NG ' S BUS I NES S neck. All these judgments resulted from Eli’s carelessness in ruling his household. Christian parents today should go to the Word of God and take their ideals from it to find out how their households should he ruled. Eli’s sin is one of the most prevalent sins of today, causing the destruction of many, and bringing a wide-spread curse to the nation. Let us consider how God rules His household. As a Father in love and perfect wisdom, let us make Him our model for the rul ing of our households. When the Israelites wanted to leave Egypt, Pharaoh told them that the. par ents might go if they would leave the little ones behind. He knew well that if he had possession of the little ones that he would soon have the parents back. 6 Egypt was a type of the world and Pharaoh a type of the Devil. Moses gave the emphatic answer that they would not leave one little one behind. How often do we see parents converted, leaving Egypt themselves, but allowing their children to remain behind among worldly companions, pleasures and inter ests. We ought to be as careful, to do all that we can to sever our children from every worldly tendency as the Is raelites were, because Israel certainly took their children out of Egypt. Lamb for An Household When the Lord instituted the Pass- over He instructed the people to “ take a lamb for a house,” (Ex. 12:3) not a lamb for a person, not a lamb for the nation, but “ a lamb for a house.’’ God plainly shows that His unit for salva tion is the house. The Passover is a perfect type of redemption, and there is no doubt as to the meaning of this. This gives great encouragement to believe God for the salvation of our whole house, when we see it repeatedly ex pressed as His will. In the story of Rahab we have a beau tiful illustration of the grace of God saving a household. Rahab was brought
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